Kent State cannot provide certification for coach who ran drills on day of player’s death: Report

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Tyler Heintz

Kent State cannot provide certification for coach who ran drills on day of player’s death: Report

Tyler Heintz

KENT, Ohio– Kent State University is unable to produce the NCAA-required professional certification for the head football strength coach who oversaw drills the day an incoming freshman died, CBS Sports reported on Tuesday.

On June 13, Tyler Heintz was taken to the hospital after football conditioning drills at Dix Stadium. Portage County Coroner Dr. Dean DePerro determined hyperthermia was the preliminary reason for the man’s death.

CBS Sports reported strength coach Ross Bowsher appears to be the only member of the Golden Flashes conditioning and training staffs without certification. It would be a violation of NCAA bylaw 11.1.5.

Bowsher is also not a member of National Strength Coaches Association, and Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association, according to the CBS Sports story.

The university released the following statement to FOX 8 News on Tuesday:

“We continue to mourn the loss of Tyler Heintz, and the Kent State family is focused on joining with the Heintz family in honoring the memory of Tyler in our thoughts and actions. Kent State University continues to assess and review all policies and practices relative to the circumstances surrounding Tyler’s death. It is premature to report the totality of our findings, but we remain steadfast in the due diligence of our review and our commitment to the safety and well-being of all student-athletes at Kent State University.”

Heintz was a 2017 graduate of Kenton High School in Hardin County, Ohio. His high school football coach described him as a great person and hard-working athlete. The offensive lineman was planning to study marketing and entrepreneurship.

In 2014, KSU center Jason Bitsko was found unresponsive in his apartment after he didn’t show up to practice. The 21-year-old’s cause of death was an enlarged heart.